Ice Wars

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Sometimes it feels like my kids purposefully hurt themselves so they can go to the freezer and get the ice pack out by themselves. Honor is the prime culprit in ice pack misuse. She will stub her toe on a pillow and claim she needs the ice pack. She will run full speed to the freezer, yank the door open, put the ice pack on her toe for 30 seconds, claim a miraculous healing, yank the freezer door open once again and put the ice pack back all by herself--all done with a smug look on her face.

And I can't deny them the ice pack. Daddy thinks that is cruel. So my freezer door is opened and shut probably 30 times a day and I have little control over it.

Of course "Little Miss Suzy Bruisy" (Ariana) really does require the ice pack that often. The other day she was sitting on my lap as I was reading the kids a story. She leaned over to get her sippy cup from the end table right next to us and BARELY bumped the bottom of her eye on my plastic cup--it didn't even spill. Ariana immediately jumped up to go get the ice pack. I told her to sit back down--she was fine--there was no way she could have hurt herself on the plastic cup that didn't even spill. She sat down and I read the rest of the book. When it was time to switch lap occupants for the next book, I looked down at Ariana and saw the beginnings of a horrible black eye! I told her to run and get the ice pack and made her hold it on her eye for the next two books (approximately 15 minutes). Black eye averted.

The daily battle continues...

1,2,3,4,5

The kids and I got out of the house today. My SIL picked up "grandma" and met me at the mall play area around 10:30. I left Samuel at home with Daddy today because it was a "girls" outing and it was right during naptime for him. That was my first mistake. When I am short one child I get a little less paranoid and a little bit cocky...three kids are easier to watch than four.

The day started out happy. We arrived first and Honor, Connor and Ariana started playing. About 10 minutes later Aunt Steph and Grandma arrived. The adults sat down and talked while the kids played. All was well. In the back of my mind I kept track of exactly where all 5 kids were. Every couple of minutes I would do a running count "Honor, Ariana, Connor, Luke, Evie...yep...all there" and go back to talking. Typical large play area things would happen such as Luke getting shoved down by a bigger boy, Connor getting dragged around by the shirt by the same bigger boy, and Honor and Ariana bumping into each other and random strangers in their excitement....but all-in-all things were going well. On one such "bump", Honor started crying hard. I went over to console her. She pointed out her owie and with tears streaming down her face whimpered "is it time for lunch yet?" Pitiful. On the clarification that lunch was a few minutes away she immediately bounded up and began playing again.

The kids' favorite climbing toy is a large styrofoam "cave" that has a slide inside, a small tunnel at the top and two little hiding nooks at the bottom on each side of the slide. They disappear for a couple of minutes only to reappear at the bottom and repeat. Great fun. The nice thing about having "older" kids is they are able to tell me where the others are. "Honor, where's Ariana?" "I'll go get her", they check in and then they are off again. When they are not next to me, I keep a running count:

"1,2,3,4,5"..."1,2,3,4,5"..."1,2,3,4,5"..."1,2,3,4...." What was that? "ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR..." Where's Honor???

I got up and walked around the play area. She wasn't there. I looked again--there were a lot of kids. She wasn't there. I remembered seeing her run by the "door" right before I started counting. She's sneaky...I bet she snuck out and went over to the toddler rides (or mechanical candy as I like to call them) just outside the play area--she was really eying them earlier.

I calmly walked out of the area and around the back. Grandma, sensing my worry, began a more thorough investigation of the play area. I got to the toddler rides and stopped. No Honor. I got down low just to be sure she wasn't hiding. No Honor. Panic. I continued my loop around the outside of the play area. By this time Grandma had started yelling her name, but there was no response. A weight had started to crush my chest. My breathing became rapid. "HONOR ELIZABETH?????" I yelled at the top of my lungs. No answer. "HONOR!!!" I continued to yell as I paced circles around the outside of the play area.

Aunt Steph took charge. "Mom, you stay here and watch the kids. I'll go look down the hallway." She didn't even try to give me a task--she could tell I had reached panic mode. Grandma began giving a description to the other moms in the play area. Ariana, thinking it was a big game, began yelling along with me, "HONOR!"

My heart had stopped beating. I don't have to worry about Honor. She doesn't talk to strangers. Ariana and Connor do, but not Honor. She doesn't try to get away. All of my kids check in with me often while they are playing. Honor has never tried to leave before and when she does, she tries to be sneaky in a "not so sneaky" way. She's my "big girl". She likes to do what is right--she's a little mommy. She wouldn't just walk away. WHO HAS MY BABY???????

An eternity later I overheard a mom ask Grandma, "Is she wearing a striped shirt?" YES!! "She's been sitting in the little cutout."

Honor had been playing a game the whole time. "Where's Honor" is her favorite game...we had actually played it earlier when she had hid in the cutout nook opposite of that one...of course that time I knew exactly where she was. This time I had thought she was on the slide and by the time I got up to verify she had "disappeared". Of course coming out when playing the "Where's Honor" game would ruin the fun...so she stayed put.

We will not be playing "where's Honor" ever again.

Said In All Seriousness

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Connor: "What are you making?"

Mommy: "Food. What are you making?"

Connor: "I'm not making anything."

Mommy: "Oh. You don't make food, you just eat?"

Connor: "And sleep."

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Honor is Getting SOOOO Big!

In order to keep the peace a little longer and allow Daddy and Mommy a few extra minutes of sleep and time to shower, every morning we remove Ariana from the girls' room and put her on the mattress we have on the floor in our room as soon as we hear them making noise. We don't mind them playing in their room, but they tend to fight/scream and wake up the boys...

This morning when I went in and got Ariana, Honor turned to me and said in the most serious, adult voice, "if you don't mind, I will just stay in here and play quietly."

...as if she had a choice!

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Amazing Steph's Pictures

Steph has done it again! She took the professional pictures we had taken on Honor and Connor's 4th birthday and improved upon them. Eventually I am going to have a gallery of just her stuff around my house!!! She is so talented!

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Little Friends

Today we invited our little neighbor Maya over to play. She is a month older than Connor and Honor. You would think I would hate adding another 4 year old into my madhouse, but actually I love it! Honor calls her her best friend and loves having a girl to play princess with. And Connor loves sharing his train with people outside of our family. So overall, the hectic level goes WAY down when she's over...such a blessing!

Samuel Loves His Books

Samuel sure is cute. He recently started "making" me read to him. His favorite book is about a little lamb that goes from animal to animal in the barnyard. It has a button on it that says "bah, bah" that you are supposed to push every time it says, "The sheep says: 'bah'."

Samuel takes this book and chases me around the house hitting me on the leg with it. If I happen to be sitting down, he will toddle up to me, pick up my hand, turn my hand over, put the book in my hand and then close my fingers around the book. Then he will climb up into my lap and sit his little bottom down, patiently waiting for me to read to him.

Tonight he added to the story. Every time we got to the part that says, "the sheep says:", even before I could push the button, Samuel would shout "BAH, BAH!" He's so cute!

Honor's Prayer Tonight

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Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank you much for Mommy and Daddy. Thank you for my castle toy and Connor's Aric and Arrow, and Ariana didn't have a birthday. And please help Mommy to grow big and strong like Daddy. In Jesus Name, Amen.
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Oh What a Fun Day I've Had

Today was Doctor Visit day...Honor and Connor turned 4 on Sunday (they are growing up sooooo fast!) so we went to get their 4 year old check-ups...and vaccinations (hence the trip to Chick-fil-A).

I love the kids' doctor...better yet, my kids LOVE their doctor. Dr. Jones. He is always prompt and courteous, he remembers us from visit to visit (which I guess is quite often...every 2 months or so one child needs a check-up or is sick...), he never makes me feel rushed, and he'll even throw in "freebies"..."I think Samuel might have a slight ear infection...do you mind peeking really quick???" (apparently he doesn't--just getting his molars).

Today we learned that Honor was a boy. Okay, she was just inputed into the computer system a year ago as a boy and it was never changed. Dr. Jones was quite upset by this--I thought it was humorous. He immediately had the nurses change it and his electronic information system (or laptop as others might call it) reflected the change right away. We can now say that she is on track for both height and weight...as is Connor. They weigh about the same, but Honor is about 3 1/2 inches taller than Connor. Both Honor and Connor are completely healthy, have 20/20 vision and can pee in a cup.

Yes....you heard me correctly...the doctor had both of them pee in a cup. Connor is a little peeing pro. I just told him to pee in the toilet like normal, but instead aim at the cup...not one drop was spilled! Honor was a bit more challenging. First they felt the needed to make me "wipe" her with one of those wet wipe swipy things to "cleanse the area"....but Honor is a "big girl" and no longer feels the need to be wiped with wet wipes. I'm not going to go into details, but lets just say it didn't get as clean as they'd have liked. Then came the actual peeing. We had Connor go first so Honor was really excited to try to hit the cup too. She squatted on the seat and I put the cup "down there"...she missed. Yeah...its a good thing I've been peed on many times in the last couple of years or else I might have been grossed out by this. We managed to get enough pee in the bottom of the cup to barely cover the bottom. The nurse said it was enough. Both children's pee test came back fine.

Then back to the room for the dreaded 4 at 4 shots...except we missed one at their last vaccination so we had FIVE shots. I had them do Honor first knowing that if Connor cried I would never get Honor on the table. Before the needles came out, I told Honor that she was going to get poked by 5 needles and it was going to hurt a little, but it would be over really quick and then no more shots until she was 11. My daughter is very trusting. "Okay Mommy!" she said as she sweetly sat down on my lap. I barred her in with my arms and legs as if I were a roller coaster ride and she had been instructed to keep her arms and legs in the vehicle at all times. It was too late to turn back. The first needle went in. Honor didn't even bat an eye. It was the 2nd that hurt. And the 3rd made her cry. The 4th made her squirm. By the 5th she was thrashing around. The nurse actually missed and scratched her then had to re-aim as I tightened my grip around her tiny little arm. An eternity later it was done. I cuddled her for a few minutes and then she realized it was Connor's turn. Her sobs ceased. "Connor's going to cry too?" "Probably" was my response. Honor happily got back to working on her sticker book.

Connor's turn. "Connor, this is going to hurt a little. The nurse is going to poke you 5 times and it will hurt. But then you get to put on those neat little bandaids...and then no more for 7 years!" "Okay, Mommy!" was my sweet little boy's reply. The first needle went in again without any response from Connor. But unlike Honor, Connor didn't cry at any of the rest either. Connor did say "Oh that hurts!" and whimper a little, but that was it. He held perfectly still and counted off the shots with me. I was so proud! What a little champ!

So that is why we went to Chick-fil-A for lunch....where my wonderful mother-in-law graciously met me to help out with the kids--and didn't even eat anything! I thought the kids deserved a treat for doing so well and a little playtime in the play area. After the play area we shared another treat.... I felt the "kids" had a long day and deserved the extra sweetness of an oreo milkshake...

Quotes from Honor

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Mommy: "We're going to Chick-Fil-A for lunch."
All the Kids: "YEAH!!!"
Honor: "No Mommy...it's not "Chick-Fil-A"! It is "Chick FLAVOR"!"

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Playing in the Chick-Fil-A play area with a new "friend", Honor points to me:

"That's my mommy. Her name is Mama."
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Make Room for Samuel!

If I am sitting on the floor with a child in my lap and Samuel happens to be in the vicinity, it is not long before his little tush is shoving whomever off of my lap and onto the floor. He is particularly aggressive if I have a book in my hand. And when I say "his little tush is shoving", I mean it VERY literally. I get a kick out of watching him "run" over to me as fast as he can toddle, turn around, and back up onto my lap with very little regard for the person (or persons) previously sitting comfortably there. The funniest part is that the kids don't seem to mind--they just go and work on something else. I don't think Samuel is going to have any problems making himself heard!

Need a Translator?

As a mom I am constantly having to figure out what on earth my kids are talking about. Lucky for me there is very little they do that I don't know about. I have become an expert translator for toddlereeze. So, when Connor came up to me the other day with a drawing of 2 squares and a couple of circles and told me that it was "Need Input", I knew exactly how to congratulate him. "That is a wonderful robot, Connor! Great job!"

While I was on vacation, Daddy let the kids watch Short Circuit. "Need Input" = "Number 5" (or "Johnny 5" as I like to call him).

"Ready, Set, Go!" much like "Lie" or "See" has a variety of different meanings depending on who is using it and the context in which it is being used. Connor and Honor will use it when they are racing to me or when they are playing with their cars. Ariana uses it to tell me what to do. So, today when Ariana told me "Ready, Set, Go!" I knew immediately that she required assistance.

Yesterday Honor and Connor were blessed with two new tricycles (Or "Try - SIGHcles as Honor pronounces it) for their birthdays. "Ready, Set, Go" in this context= "Push ME!!!"

Hair No More

Daddy had a goatee for the last month or so. Mommy did not like kissing Daddy's goatee. Mommy asked Daddy to trim his goatee so it was not so bushy. Daddy decided to shave it off. This was a large topic of conversation this morning.

Daddy was lying on the couch when the children came downstairs for breakfast...

Connor: "Mommy, is that Daddy?"
Mommy: "Yes! Who else would it be?"
Connor: "Oh. It is Daddy."
Honor: "Daddy cut off his hair on his face. Look, Connor, Daddy cut off his uh, uh,...come here! Let me show you!" (dragging Connor behind her)
When they got over to Daddy, Connor wouldn't go near him.
Daddy: "See! He's scared of me now!"
Connor: "Daddy, where is your hair?"
Daddy: "I shaved it off...see...feel."
Connor: "Oh. It feels smooth"

Throughout breakfast Connor repeatedly remarked that Daddy had shaved off his beard.

Daddy will be growing his goatee back now. Apparently he thinks he looks like a kid. (Yes...pun intended).

I'm on Vacation...

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...and missing my kids horribly!!!

My husband was gracious enough to allow me to visit my family for 5 days...without the kids. I needed a break and I was missing MY mommy horribly! We are having a great time, and I hear that Daddy is doing a good job taking care of the kids by himself, but I am REALLY missing them. I have called them 2-3 times every day and talk to the kids every night before they go to sleep. Here is a sample of one of our conversations:

Daddy hands Honor the phone:

Honor: "Hi, Mommy! When are you coming home?"
Mommy: "In 3 days. Are you being good for Daddy?"
Honor: "Yep! What are you doing?"
Mommy: "I'm sitting on my bed at Grandma's house. What are you doing?"
Honor: "I'm playing with a flashlight. See? Look, Mommy..." Honor sits the phone down and walks away. I hear her in the background telling me about the light on the wall. Connor picks up the phone...

Connor: "Hi Mommy! I miss you!"
Mommy: "I miss you too! Are you being good for Daddy?"
Connor: "Yes. We at dinner tonight!"
Mommy: "Oh...that's nice...what did you have?"
Connor: "Numbers chicken nuggets."
Mommy: "Oh...what numbers?"
Connor: "1, 2, 3! We played in the front room with our toys!"
Mommy: "I heard that you hit Ariana with a toy...that wasn't very kind of you was it?"
Connor: "No."
Mommy: "Well...don't hit your sisters or brother anymore."
Connor: "Okay. I love you."
Mommy: "I love you too son."
Connor puts down the phone and goes to take the flashlight from Honor. Ariana picks up the phone.

Ariana: "Hi Mommy!!!"
Mommy: "Hi baby! Are you being good for Daddy?"
Ariana: "Yes! What you doin'?"
Mommy: "Not much...what are you doing?"
Ariana: babble, babble, babble..."I looooovvvveee you!"
Mommy: "I love you too baby!"
Ariana: "bye!"

I don't get to talk to Samuel.

I'll be home tomorrow night!!!
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The Difference Between Honor and Connor

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We have a little peek-a-block that has a puppy hidden inside of a present. When you push the button, the puppy pops up.

Connor: "Look Mommy!"
Mommy: "A puppy! For me?"
Connor: "No...its for someone else..."
Mommy gives Connor her best sad, puppy-dog face.
Connor: "No...its YOUR puppy Mommy!"
Mommy: "Oh Thank you, Connor!!"

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Honor: "Look Mommy! A puppy!"
Mommy: "For me???"
Honor: laughing "No! It's a present for someone else!"
Mommy gives Honor her best sad, puppy-dog face.
Honor gives Mommy a hug.
Honor: "It's okay. It's a present for someone else..."
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Amen

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We pray for our meals. It is a routine. The kids know that before we eat, every time, we pray. Samuel learned to be quiet during prayers around 10 months--or at least he learned to stop crying during prayers because food was coming....

Today, my 13 month old son folded his hands during our prayer for lunch and afterwards said "Amen" with the rest of the kids. The child barely says mama and dada and yet he says Amen!!! Such a blessing!
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Honor Stayed at Grandma's for the Weekend...

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...it is AMAZING how much easier three children are compared to four!!!
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Silly Mommy

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Jasmine was overly excited...Mommy told her she was a good girl. In dog language this equates to 10 treats. She was jumping up and down and "smiling" huge, butt waggling like it was going to fall off. Which is why she accidentally bumped into Honor and knocked her down.

"Moooooommmy! Jasmine knocked me over!...Jasmine, you need to say you're sorry!"

Playing along, in a mock stern voice I said, "Jasmine, tell Honor your sorry!"

Honor thinks about it for a minute and then announces very seriously, "Moooommm. Dogs don't talk!"
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Game Time

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Honor, "reading" off a box:

"M - E - M - O - R - Y.... Game!"

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